Advertising device



No. 6l5,358. Patented Dec. 6, 1898. J. W. LYNCH.

ADVERTISING DEVJCE.

(Appl c fildJ a 1898 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

lwuemtoz N0. 6|5,358. Patented Dec. 6, I898.

J. W. LYNCH.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

(Application filed 39m. 3, 1898.\ .Nq Mudei.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

a nwwtoz g WI]?! flnowego UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \VHEATON LYN OH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,358, dated December6, 1898.

Application filed January 3, 1898. Serial No. 665,431. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.- 7

Be it known that I, JOHN WHEATON LYNCH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements inAdvertising Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object certain improvements in movableadvertising systems whereby a large number of cards may be successivelybrought to View in a very simple manner and with great economy of space.It is particularly adapted to street-car advertising, where theavailable space is limited; but it may also be used in other places andon a larger scale.

The invention consists, essentially, in an endless traveling belt, towhich are pivoted a series of cards or card-frames, which are normallymaintained parallel with the belt, and

in providing at one or more of the turningpoints in the belt a suitabledevice for reversing the cards or frames upon the belt.

In the accompanying drawings,which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 isa perspective View, partly broken away, of an advertising systemembodying my invention, two chains being employed to carry thecard-frames. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the links which formbearings for the card-frame axis. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the linkshown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view of part of a system wherein asingle belt is employed. I Fig. 5 is a perspective view of aspring-pulley which may be used in some instances where belts areemployed. Fig. 6 is a diagram indicating the operation of the systemshown in Fig. 1, and Figs. '7, 8, and 9 are diagrams of modifiedarrangements.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, 1 and 2 studs 10 are screw-threadedand are provided with wing-nuts 12, by means of which the slack of thechains may be taken up in an obvious manner. Any other suitableadjusting device may be employed.

The chains 1 and 2 may be made to move in unison by means ofsprocket-wheels 13 and 14 engaging the upper and lower chains, respectivel y. These sprocket-wheels,as shown, are secured to a shaft 15,arranged perpendicularly to the chains and journaled in suitablebearings in brackets 16. Upon the end of the shaft is mounted ascrew-gear 17, which is engaged by a screw 18 upon the shaft of a smallelectric motor 19, by means of which the system is operated. Any othersuitable means may be employed for efiecting the movement of the chainsor belts. For streetcar purposes, for instance, it may sometimes bedesirable to substitute a pulley for the gear 17 and connect the pulleyto a car-axle by means of a belt, or, as shown in Fig. 4, each chain orbelt may be driven by apulley 20 or a gear secured to a stud 7 at oneend of the system.

When two chains or belts are employed, as shown in Fig. 1, thecard-frames 21 are supported between the chains 1 and 3 by studs 22,rigidly connected to opposite sides of each frame at or near the centralpoint, the ends of the studs being pivoted in the chain-links. Suitablemeans may be employed for normally maintaining the cards parallel withthe chains, such as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, wherein the ends of thestuds 22 are flattened on represent endless chains of equal length,which are arranged parallel with each other, the former extending arounda pair of sprocket-wheels 3 4 and the latter around an opposingpairofsprocket-wheels 5 6. The sprocketwheels are mounted upon suitable studs7, which extend outwardly from the chains, and these studs are journaledin the ends of brackets 8 and 9, which are attached in any convenientmanner to the supporting-wall opposite sides, and a spring 23, securedto the link, presses against one of the flattened sides. At each end ofthe system shown in Fig. 1 is arranged a V-shaped springguide 24, intowhich the forward end of the card-frame 21 projects as it approaches theturning-point, and while the axis of the frame describes a semicirclearound the pulleys or sprockets the forward part of the frame will beheld within the guide, and thereby prevented from upon which the systemis mounted. One of turning, so that as the frame passes out of the guidein the reverse direction on the opposite side of the pulley the cardwill still face the same way. When the frame reaches the opposite end ofthe system, a similar operation takes place, and the card is brought tothe front without turning. The manner of passing the frames to the frontand rear without turning them will be clear from an inspection of thediagram Fig. 6, wherein the successive positions of a frame are shown indotted lines.

It will. beseen that by means of the apparatus thus far described alarge number of stiff cards or frames of any length may be operatedwithin a narrow space, as the cards do not invert, and consequentlydonot require lateral space at the turning-points of the chains or belts.As the cards project only one-half their length longitudinally beyondthe pulleys it will also be seen that space is economized in thisdirection. These are particularly desirable features for street-caradvertising, as the apparatus may be located above the windows, whereadvertisements are usually carried, and about double the num ber ofcards may be exhibited without requiring more than a few inches oflateral space.

In Fig. 4 I have shown part of a system em Dloving a single belt. Theeneral arran ement of such a system is the same as that wherein twochains or belts are employed, except that in this instance pulleys areemployed instead of sprocket-wheels, and the card-frames are supportedby single studs 22. As shown in the drawings, each stud 22 is j ournaledin abearin g 25, and is provided with a collar 26, resting upon thehearing, so as to support the-frame. The end of the stud is flattened,as shown, on opposite sides, and a flat spring 23,cooperating therewith,normally holds the frame parallel withthe belt. The bearing and springare secured to a plate 27, which is attached to the belt at one pointonly, so that the attachment may pass around the pulleys withoutstraining the belt. To provide for any strain due to this cause, I mayemploy spring-pulleys such as shown in Fig. 5, constructed so as toyield slightly if any strain should be occasioned by the passage of theattachment 27 around it. This pulley consists, as shown, of a stud 7,slotted at one end, the stud forming the hub of the pulley, and the rimconsisting of a flat piece of spring metal, one terminal 28 of which issecured within the slot in the stud, from whence it extends radiallyoutward to a point 29, and thence extends in a circlearound the stud asa'center, the outer extremitySO of the band overlapping the point 29. Acircular disk 31 is secured to the stud 7 below the pulley-rim, and itsouter edge forms a flange to support the belt. The separation of theflange from the rim allows free contraction and expansion of the latter.In Fig. 4:, wherein the cards are suspended from the belt, the flange 31is shown at the end of the stud. Instead of suspending the cards,however, they may obviously be supported above the belt, and the flangewill in that case be on the opposite side of the rim, as shown in Fig.5.

The system which I have thus far described is particularly designed forplaces where lateral space is at a premium, such as streetcars. In sucha system, while two rows of cards are employed, the same side of thecard is always brought to the front. In some cases, however, where spacewill permit it may be desirable to reverse the cards on the belt only atone point in the system and' allow them to pass around the pulley orpulleys at other points in the system without reversing, as indicated bythe diagrams Figs. 7 and 8. In Fig. 7, for instance, the cards will bereversed on the belt in succession by the guide 24 as they pass aroundthe pulley 4; but at the opposite end of the system they will not bereversed. Hence the opposite sides of the cards may be exhibitedalternately, and twice as many advertisements may be exhibited as whenthe cards are reversed at each end.

In Fig. 8 the system shown in Fig. 7 is amplified to show itsapplication to a rectangu lar room or space, a guide 32' being shown forreversing the cards at one point only. The opposite sides of the cardswill therefore be presented to View alternately at each passage aroundthe room or space. If desired, of course, a guide may be located at someother turning-point in the system, so that one side of the cards mayalways be exhibited between the guides at one part of the system and theother side at another part. The guide 32 is shown double, so that thecards may be re versed whether the belt runs one way or the other.

Any suitable means maybe employed to impart movement to the system, anddifferent devices may be employed for reversing the cards and attachingthem to the belts. By substitutingstop-pins 33, as indicated in Fig. 9,for the V-shaped guides it will be evident that the cards will be turnedthereby in their.

passage around the pulley. It is immaterial whether the cards beattached directly to the pivots or whether they be inserted in frames,the latter being attached to the pivots. The cards may also berectangular, as shown, oval, or any other suitable shape, and forstreet-car use they may be bowed longitudinally to con form to theoutline of the curved space between the roof and sides of the carusually reserved for advertising purposes. I therefore do not care tolimit myself to the precise c0nstruction shown in the drawings.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. In an advertising device, the combina-' tion with an endlesstraveling belt, of a series of cards pivotally connected to said beltand normally maintained parallel with said belt while passing betweenits turning points, and a device adjacent to the belt adapted to engagethe cards and to efiect their reversal with reference to the belt,substantially as described.

2. In an advertising device the combination with an endless travelingbelt, of a series of cards pivoted at their edges to said belt andnormally maintained parallel with said belt while passing between itsturning-points, and means for automatically reversing the cards withreference to the belt, substantially as described.

3. In an advertising device, the combination with an endless travelingbelt, and rollers around which said belt passes, of a series of cardspivoted to said belt, and means ad jacent to one or more of said rollersfor defleeting the ends of said cards While their pivotal points passaround the rollers to effect the reversal of said cards with referenceto the belt, substantially as described.

4. In an advertising device the combination with an endless travelingbelt, of aseries of cards pivoted centrally of their edges to said beltand normally maintained parallel with said belt while passing betweenits turning-points, and means for automatically reversing the cards withreference to the belt, substantially as described.

5. In an advertising device, the combination with a pair of parallelendless belts, rollers around which said belts pass and means forcausing said belts to travel in unison, of a series of cards arrangedbetween and pivoted to said belts and normally maintained paralleltherewith while passing between said rollers, and means forautomatically reversing the cards with reference to the belts,substantially as described.

6. In an advertising device, the combination with a pair of endlessparallel belts arranged to travelin unison, and opposing rollersaroundwhich said belts pass, of a series of cards arranged between and pivotedcentrally of their edges to said belts, and means adjacent to saidrollers for deflecting the ends of the cards While their pivotal pointspass around the rollers to effect the reversal of said cards withreference to the belts, substan-. tially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN IVHEATON LYNCH.

Witnesses:

LYDIA L. MUSTIN, THORNTON M. LYNCH.

